'Death watch' counts down life expectancy

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The expression "make every second count" is now taking on a new meaning thanks to an inventor in Los Angeles who says he has created a watch that will tell you the time -- and the time you will die.

The Swedish-born inventor Fredrik Colting spoke with 41 Action News Thursday via Skype. He said the idea first came to him more than a decade ago when his grandfather died.

"It just dawned on me that when you're dead, everything is over. You can't say anything, you can't do anything that matters," Colting said.

And so from death, a watch was born, a watch that counts down the year, month, day, hour minute and even second that you will expire.

It starts with a quick survey that asks for your age, where you grew up, how tall you are, how much you weigh, if you smoke, your level of stress and how often you exercise. A simple math equation is used to then calculate your life expectancy.

'It doesn't calculate if we're going to get hit by a bus or things like that," Colting said.

Admitting that the science is not exact, he still said he believes it's a universal interest that links all of us in the universe.

One Kansas City resident, Patti Rojas, said she believes there's no reason to need to know that.

Another Kansas City man, Gary Wolf, said he thinks it could effect you in a different way.

"We would live life differently if we were going to die," he said.

Depending on how you look at it, it's the grim reaper staring you down or, if you ask Colting, just a reminder to live life to the fullest.

"I think that if you're aware of your own death, of your own expiration, you will make those better choices," Colting said.

The watch can be pre-ordered
here for under $60. It will be available in April, 2014.

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.